The human body is a complex, unstudied system to the end, where everything is interconnected. Wet feet - sore throat, a hit on the heels - a problem with the kidneys. Figurative (even slightly exaggerated) examples, but this is indeed so. It is much more difficult to explain the most subtle spiritual human changes. And there is no such task. The article will talk about something else - we reflect on the well-known expression, which has already become winged: "Greed begets poverty."
In simple words, the hero of the notorious Bulgakov novel explains (speaking of a brick that just doesn’t fall on his head) the law to which the German philosophers Kant and Schopenhauer devoted their works. Absolutely everything has a reason.
We will agree immediately
We move away from the topic of discussion of the laws of casualness. They, of course, have the right to exist - why not? But that which cannot be explained is not a thankful task. Let us leave it for exercise to philosophers and thinkers endowed with a special unearthly wisdom and the gift to see that which is inaccessible to the ordinary human eye.
Here, too, we will not repeat ourselves, give definitions and describe the meanings (familiar from childhood) of words and concepts. All this has already been done for a long time, and only lazy did not write about it. Few people will object that sin is bad, and a good deed is wonderful.
A three-year-old child with a handful of sweets clamped in his hands, not wanting to part with his wealth, is forced to share this treasure after hearing his mother’s remark: “Do not be greedy, treat the girl ...”. The kid already at this age knows what greed is. At least intuitively feels that this is not good.
And the last: about the concept of “poverty” (poverty). Poverty of poverty is different. Life is multifaceted, it abounds in a mass of rare and unique cases. We will consider a situation when a completely successful person becomes poor, and even poor.
What leads to poverty?
The expression is known - "Greed begets poverty." Who said these words? The expression used for centuries, which has retained its relevance today, belongs to the philosopher and thinker of ancient China, Confucius (551-479 BC). Looking ahead, we try to answer the question. Greed, greed, avarice lead to poverty . Expressed in the language of the church - loving love, which is one of the seven deadly sins.
Any unsubstantiated statement is nullified, is not it? It’s time to start proving the fidelity of the expression “Greed begets poverty.” Confucius managed in one brief phrase to describe the whole process of the profound changes in human life.
From a weakened mind to poverty
We start the argument from the end, in reverse. So, imagine: a once quite successful person became a beggar. “Goal like a falcon,” and nothing else. By the way, the phenomenon is familiar, and does not even remotely resemble a fairy tale. Are the words and phrases not known: “ruin”, “bankruptcy”, “lose everything”, “turn out on the street”?
The beggar is prone to fall. The fact that a person has become a beggar alone cannot testify to his ascent, rise. An example is banal, but met everywhere - after receiving alms, a beggar seeks to "put into circulation" as soon as possible - to drink. Weakening of the mind leads to poverty. When a person does not distinguish between what is good and what is bad, this indicates a weak mind.
And it does not matter that he deliberately does not notice the differences. The trouble is that he distinguishes them (otherwise he would have been incapable). A person understands that his act is wrong, but still he does it. Why? Weak mind (there is nothing to do with mental illness, pathology). Inability (unwillingness) to adequately assess the invalidity of an act, its negative consequences.
There may be objections that there are beggars who retain their “hard-earned" ones, even engage in the accumulation of alms. Absolutely fair. Just let's not confuse a textbook beggar with a person for whom “poverty” has become a profession, a way of veiled deception and outright fraud. What is the connection between all this and the expression “greed begets poverty”? The most direct. We sort the whole chain into links.
The loss of shame is a sure sign that poverty is already “knocking on the door”
What weakens the human mind? Again, referring to the church language (he briefly and concisely gives very precise definitions), one can answer in one word - sinfulness. Sinfulness and weak mind are closely interconnected. A person is unable to defeat a habit, does not even think about it, does not set such a goal. He ceases to see subtle differences, even finds excuses for his deliberately wrongful acts.
The state of sinfulness, in turn, leads to a loss of shame. Someone may object, saying that desire leads to the fall. Undoubtedly. Sin is always welcome. Temptation? And this is true, but immediately the question is - why does someone manage to avoid the temptation, but someone can not resist? After all, initially for any person there is public opinion, morality, law, other social norms, generally accepted rules for coexistence with surrounding people, in the end. Loss of shame, conscience leads to sinfulness, you can call it whatever you like. There remains only a couple of links from the whole chain that separate from the disclosure of the meaning of the expression “greed begets poverty”.
Denial of kindness and virtue leads to a loss of shame
Unwillingness to live for the sake of others, rejection of virtue as something unprofitable, defective, difficult and unprofitable. Priority of one’s own interests, personal gain, achievement of one’s goals in any way and by any means, regardless of the needs and aspirations of others, norms and rules, means the loss of shame and conscience.
And finally, what leads to a loss of shame? Of course greed. Greed is a choice. Greed begets poverty. The meaning of this statement is that the rejection of virtue (caring for others) because of greed gives unlimited access to sensual pleasures, sinfulness. “I can do this”, “I want this”, “I have the right”, “this is my life”, “I don't care” - expressions that are links in the same chain leading to poverty and misery. A person, as a rule, loses respect, “his face”, good relations, friends and relatives. And as a result of some complication, the difficulty that has arisen on some part of his life's journey, he will inevitably fly into the abyss, to the bottom, hoping in vain that someone will reach out to him.
One cannot but agree with the statement that greed begets poverty. The author of the quote is not only right, he is also very accurate in his expression.
Literary examples
How can one not mention the Pushkin old man and the old woman who lived near the blue sea, the Indian fairy tale about the golden antelope and the greedy raj, about Khoja Nasreddin and the greedy merchant, about many other immortal literary works and fairy tales? Did they arise out of the blue? Are they not a clear example of the validity of the assertion that greed begets poverty?